


Happy Beyond Birthdays

by therumjournals



Category: Star Trek RPF
Genre: M/M, Pinto
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-26
Updated: 2010-08-26
Packaged: 2017-10-17 12:41:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/176956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/therumjournals/pseuds/therumjournals





	Happy Beyond Birthdays

Title: **Happy Beyond Birthdays**  
Author: [](http://therumjournals.livejournal.com/profile)[**therumjournals**](http://therumjournals.livejournal.com/)  
Fandom: Star Trek RPF  
Pairing: Chris/Zach  
Rating: NC-17  
Word Count: 6,900  
Description: Chris Pine’s totally awesome 30th birthday.  
Disclaimer: This is not a true story. While I hope that Chris really did have a birthday this awesome, I have no idea, because I don’t know him or anyone else involved.  
A/N: Responding to the call for some “classic Pinto” - here is some non-AU, present-day, profanity-laced, old-school banter-y first-time Pinto! Angst-free, because it’s his fucking birthday! Enjoy!

“So do you have big plans for your birthday? I mean, 30 is kind of a big deal.”

Chris scrunched his legs up on the couch, pressing the phone closer to his ear. “Yeah, I guess.” He ran a hand through his hair, squeezed his eyes shut, tried not to say it, but, “Fuck man, I wish you were gonna be here.”

“Yeah, me too, but…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, rehearsals blah blah blah. Fucking plays, man, I don’t know who’d want to do that shit.”

“Funny.”

Chris grinned, slumped back a little against the cushions.

“So really though, what are you doing?”

“Um, lunch with my parents, and then Katie said she got me tickets to some show that night, which is complete bullshit, by the way, she knows I don’t want to go to a fucking show on my 30th birthday, so I’m pretty sure she’s got some surprise party thing planned.”

“Nice.”

“I guess.”

“What? You don’t like surprises?”

Chris stretched back and shrugged, like Zach could see him. “Eh, whatever. It’s cool. It’s fine. I’d be fine either way, you know, just having dinner with friends or whatever. I don’t need some big blowout.”

“Yeah.”

“So how come fucking Shatner isn’t twittering me to have dinner with him on my birthday, huh?”

“It’s tweeting, Chris, and how would you know anyway? He could have tweeted you an epic poem and you’d never know it, since you refuse to get a Twitter account.”

“Tell you what, the day the Shat tweets me an epic poem is the day I’ll sign up for Twitter, sound good?”

“Sounds great.”

“Alright, well it’s been nice talking to you, man, we should do this more often.”

“Yeah.”

“You’d better call me on my birthday, bitch.”

“Yeah, um, I think I’m busy that day,” Zach said, laughing.

“Fucker. Probably busy getting an atrocious haircut and banging NBC sitcom stars.”

“Jesse’s in LA, it’s on _ABC_ , and for the last time, we’re not banging.”

“Sure you’re not. Bye, Zach.”

“We’re not! Chris? Chris, we aren’t, I swear. Chris? You still there? Asshole.”

Chris chuckled. “Okay, fine, you’re not banging. _Bye_ , Zach.”

“Bye.”

“Bye.”

“Seriously, we’re not.”

“Oh my god, BYE.”

Chris ended the call and tossed the phone across the couch, staring at it for a while with a dopey half-smile on his face. Fucking Zach, man. They should do this more often.

*

Chris pulled into his parents’ long driveway, rolling up the windows and turning down the Jay-Z that was blasting from the speakers of the Mini Cooper. He saw his dad come out of the front door as he put the car in park and climbed out.

“Hey Dad!”

“Hey, birthday boy!” his dad said, pulling him into a warm hug. “Your mom’s out back, come on around, we’ve got burgers on the grill…” He trailed off as they walked around the side of the house and headed for the backyard. Chris sniffed the air, smelled burgers and something else, sunscreen, maybe. He heard a low murmur of voices and squinted, and his stomach did a little flip, a premonition tickling the back of his neck as they rounded the corner into the backyard.

“SURPRISE!!!!!!!!”

Zach was at the front of the crowd, bouncing with glee, and Chris’s heart stuttered in his chest. He felt his cheeks flush with heat and he grinned, shaking his head in shock.

“Fuck you, you fucking fucker,” he said, ignoring everyone else as he walked up to Zach and wrapped him in a bear hug. He cringed as he looked over Zach’s shoulder. “Sorry, Mom.” She smiled and shook her head and waited until he and Zach separated to give her son a hug and a peck on the cheek. Then he was engulfed in the crowd, trading hugs and kisses and slaps on the back. Everyone was there, and it felt amazing.

Zoe was smiling at him, her eyes twinkling. “I hope you got a lot of sleep last night,” she murmured in his ear, “because Zach planned the shit out of this day for you.”

“Seriously?” Chris asked.

“He was briefing us on the schedule earlier. I’m pretty sure he has a clipboard.”

“Are there pony rides?” Chris asked, laughing.

Zoe raised an eyebrow. “Don’t even joke.”

*

There weren’t pony rides, but there was a cotton candy machine and a volleyball net and… “Oh my god, Zach, you got a fucking-“

“MOON BOUNCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Anton shrieked as he ran past them across the lawn, throwing himself head first onto the inflated bouncy surface. They saw the walls shake and caught a glimpse of Anton through the mesh sides as he threw himself wildly around, whooping.

“Anton’s gonna barf,” Zoe predicted.

“Maybe we should wait ‘til he’s out of there,” Zach mused.

Chris looked at him. “Zach, what…what is all this stuff?!”

Zach’s answer was something about celebrating a new decade by reliving the summers of his youth or something, but Chris had stopped listening as he strained to identify the tune that jingled faintly from the front of the house. He blanched a little when he recognized the familiar, insidious plinking sounds of _Pop Goes the Weasel_.

“Zach, is that an…?”

“ICE CREAM TRUCK!!!!!!” Anton screamed, bouncing out onto the lawn and speeding past them at a full run, heading for the street.

“Yeah,” Zach said, blushing, but he looked so proud of himself that Chris couldn’t help but smile.

“Yeah. Anton is definitely gonna barf.”

By the time they made their way out front, Anton had already shoved half a Choco-Taco down his throat, and he was saying something enthusiastically through his next mouthful. “It’s fwee!” he said, choking, swallowed, and clarified, “It’s free!”

Zach rolled his eyes. “Yeah, it’s free, Anton, I wasn’t about to make Chris pay for ice cream on his own fucking birthday. Now get out of the way and let the birthday boy order.”

Chris’s eyes went wide as he stared at the selections illustrated on the side of the truck, and he almost did feel like a kid again as he approached the window, a long-lost giddiness creeping up inside him as he bit his lip and tried to decide. “Um…a Rocket Pop, I guess,” he said, trying not to act too eager as he unwrapped the popsicle and shoved it lewdly in his mouth, winking at Zach as he did so.

Zach raised an eyebrow at him and asked for a chocolate-covered banana. “Two can play that game, mister.” He held Chris’s eye as he slid the banana between his lips, hollowed his cheeks, and chomped the end off. Chris winced and laughed, and they headed around the house again, as everyone else began lining up at the truck.

Out back, Chris flopped down on the grass and licked his popsicle, and Zach sat down beside him.

“So Zoe tells me you’ve got a big day planned,” Chris said, dying to know what else Zach had in store.

“Yep,” Zach said around his next bite of banana.

“Well? Come on, tell me, what else?!”

“Not telling.”

“What?! Zaaaach, come ooonnnnn!” Chris laughed as Zach kicked at him. “What, you’re the one who told me to regress to my childhood,” he said.

Zach raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t tell you that _the day I met you_!” he said in disbelief.

“Oh fuck you,” Chris said, sucking defiantly on his popsicle. “Damn, this is good. You want a lick?” he asked, holding it out.

“Um, no. Also, you look like you just blew a smurf,” Zach added with a smirk. Chris’s lips were a blue around the edges, and when he stuck his tongue out at Zach it was a dark grapey purple.

“Jealous?” Chris asked, but he was interrupted by Katie dropping down beside them in a grass.

“Hey, little bro. Enjoying your party?”

“Hey loser. Fucking co-conspirator. I can’t believe you let Zach suck you into his master plan, fucking tickets to a show, you suck.”

Katie laughed. “I love you, too,” she said. “And you should be thanking me, actually. Do you know how hard I had to work to get Zach to deviate from his original idea?”

“What-ever,” Zach said, “Chris would have looked amazing in a tiara, and you know it.”

Chris raised an eyebrow. “Princess theme,” Katie informed him. “You’re welcome.” She handed him a drink in a red plastic cup. “Margarita. Zach got a machine.”

“Margarita? Hmm, I don’t seem to remember those from the summers of my childhood,” Chris mused.

“Yeah, well, growing up is good for something,” Zach said, standing up. “I’ll leave you two to catch up, gotta make sure everything’s running smoothly.”

“I would’ve liked the princess theme, Zach!” Chris called after him. Zach gave him the finger behind his back and he laughed and took a sip of margarita.

“You owe me,” Katie said.

“Big time,” Chris agreed.

Chris kept Zach in his peripheral vision as he chatted with Katie. At some point he realized that he should probably get up and go talk to some of his other friends, but he was distracted by a commotion on the other side of the yard. He craned his neck to see what was happening. Zach was looking over at them, giving Katie what appeared to be a very complex series of hand signals. Chris looked at her curiously, and she shook her head. “Um, I think you’re supposed to go put your bathing suit on,” she said.

“What? Why?”

“I’m not supposed to tell you. Just go change. Please. It will make Zach happy.”

“Who’s birthday _is_ this, anyway?” Chris grumbled, but he pushed himself up from the grass and headed into the house to change, as ordered.

*

When he came back outside, Zach was waiting on the patio, grinning and practically shaking with excitement. Chris was pretty sure he wanted to yell “Surprise” again, but he managed to restrain himself, throwing an arm around Chris’s shoulders instead, and dragging him toward the crowd.

“Check it out,” he said, gesturing to something on the grass. “We got a Slip-n-Slide!”

Chris’s mouth dropped open as he recognized it for what it was – the long plastic runway, ending in what was basically an inflatable wading pool filled with water.

“Dude,” Chris said, too stunned to elaborate.

“Dude,” Zach repeated.

“Dude. This. Is. Awesome!”

His dad was hosing down the runway and telling everyone to be careful. “You’re not little kids anymore,” he was saying. “I don’t want you hurting yourselves on my watch.”

“Dad,” Chris said, putting a hand on his shoulder, “would you stop-“

“Being a dad? No, I will not. And you should be _especially_ careful, Christopher. I don’t want a repeat of last time.”

“Last time?” Zach asked, smirking.

“Last time… when I was _ten_?” Chris asked.

“Yes, exactly.” His dad turned to Zach, shaking his head. “When Chris was ten, he had the brilliant idea to have the Slip-n-Slide end in the actual pool, which was all well and good, except he neglected to realize that the last five feet of his joyride were over cement. That was a fun little concussion, wasn’t it, Chris?”

“That was twenty years ago, Dad. I think I can handle myself now.”

“Okay, well don’t come crying to me if you or one of your gangly friends gets injured.”

Chris raised an eyebrow at Zach and mouthed “Gangly?” as his dad finished with the hose and headed back toward the house.

“Who’s up first?” Chris asked, rubbing his hands together.

“Go for it,” Zach said, stripping out of his shirt.

“Um, no. Someone needs to test it out for me. Why don’t you-“

“SLIP-N-SLIIIIIIIIIIIIIIDE!!!!!!!!!” Anton yelled, barreling through the crowd and hurling himself down the long slick slide, clutching a Rocket Pop in one hand. He slammed over the bump and splashed down into the shallow pool with a shriek of laughter.

“He is going to poke his fucking eye out,” Zach murmured.

Chris nodded. “And _then_ he’s going to puke.”

But the Slip-n-Slide had been tested, and now the pressure was on, the crowd around them growing and calls of encouragement for the birthday boy to make a run. Chris cracked his knuckles, flexed a little to catcalls and cheers from the crowd, and took a few steps back. He got a running start, the motions coming back to him as though entire decades hadn't passed since he’d done this, and he threw his arms out in front of him as he dove onto the slippery plastic. The momentum carried him quickly to the end, and he couldn’t help the giddy laughter bursting from his chest as he launched a foot off the ground and crashed into the water below. He stood up shakily, clutching his wrist. Fuck that had hurt. Fuck, fuck, fuck, he probably shouldn’t have landed like that, not that he’d had much choice in the matter. Zach was clapping and whistling for him, and he dropped his wrist, shaking off the pain as he high fived Zach with his other hand. He was sure it would be fine. And he had more important things to worry about right now.

“Zach! I’d better see your fucking gangly ass flailing down that Slip-n-Slide in the next five seconds, or I will throw you in the pool myself!”

*

Chris reached into the cooler for a beer, gasping as the melting ice hit his swollen wrist. He shoved his hand a little farther into the freezing water, hoping to numb the pain that had been getting harder to ignore over the past three hours. He was trying desperately to have a good time though, wanting to make the most of everything that Zach had done for him. He’d even spent thirty enjoyable minutes in the Moon Bounce with Zoe (seriously, they’d been having a lovely conversation, until someone had helpfully announced that Zoe was in the Moon Bounce – he was pretty sure that thing was not built to hold ten ogling thirty-year olds). Chris was pretty sure he’d managed to at least have a brief conversation with everyone there, too, though it unfortunately meant that it had been hours since he’d last talked to Zach. So he was slightly dismayed that the next time he saw him, Zach was climbing onto a chair to announce that it was time for everyone to change and get ready for dinner.

The crowd began to disperse as people headed into the house to change, and Chris cornered Katie by the grill.

“Katie, um…god, okay, I really hate to ask you this but…I think I might need a ride to the hospital. I kind of injured myself, and it’s pretty bad.” He held up his wrist.

“Holy shit, Chris!” Katie exclaimed, taking in the swollen joint and the disgusting blue-purple bruise that had formed.

“Yeah. Um, it hurts. So, can you take me?”

“Yeah, of course, just hold on a sec and I’ll change and grab my keys.”

“Awesome, you’re the best. Oh, and can you not tell dad?”

“Not tell dad what?” Chris’s dad asked, coming up behind them.

“Chris broke his wrist on the Slip-n-Slide,” Katie supplied helpfully. Chris’s mouth dropped open and he glared at her.

“Christopher-“ his dad started, as Katie turned to go back into the house.

“Katie got drunk after her junior prom!” Chris blurted.

“Katherine!” their dad said, aghast.

“Chris!” Katie said, staring at him in disbelief.

Chris looked between them for a second and pushed into the house. “Right, well, uh, I’d better go tell Zach.”

He found him in an upstairs hallway stepping out of the bathroom, wearing jeans and a suit jacket over a striped shirt.

“Hey, Chris! Hurry up and change, we’re heading out for dinner!”

“Um, yeah, about that. Uh…” He held up his wrist, giving Zach a bashful look.

“Jesus Christ, Chris, what the fuck did you do to yourself?” Zach said, stepping closer to take a look.

“Actually, I think I can blame you for this,” Chris said with a smirk. “It’s from the fucking Slip-n-Slide. I’m pretty sure there’s a warning label on there that says ‘Not to be used by gangly man-children over the age of twelve’.”

“And yet you’re the only one who got hurt. Sometimes I think maybe you just need a stunt double for life, Chris.”

“You suck,” Chris said, pouting. “Anyway, look, I know you probably have an awesome dinner planned and everything, and I feel like an asshole, but I think I should probably go to the hospital. I asked Katie to take me.”

“What? No!”

“No, yeah, see, because it _really_ hurts,” Chris said, pulling his arm gently from where Zach had been holding his elbow.

“No, I mean, you should go to the hospital,” Zach clarified. “Just, let me take you, okay? Seriously.”

“Really? That would be awesome, because I think Katie might hate me right now. I actually fear for the safety of my other wrist.”

“Yeah, I’ll go with you. Hey, we don’t even need to drive, we’ll just get one of the limos to drop us on the way.”

“ _Limos_??”

Zach grinned. “Surprise? Come look!” He pulled Chris to the front of the house to see the five stretch limos lined up along the street.

“Zach! What the…? You _seriously_ outdid yourself, man, this is _ridiculous_!”

Zach smiled harder. “I know. I’m just bummed you’re going to miss the dinner. We were going to get sushi and sake bombs.”

“Oh _man_ ,” Chris said, a pained look crossing his face. “I fucking love sake bombs.”

“I know you do, Chris. I know you do.”

*

Chris changed and climbed into one of the waiting limos. A few that were already filled pulled away down the street.

“What are we waiting for?” Chris asked Zach.

“Um, hold on a sec…just want to make sure we have everyone…”

The chauffeur opened the door of the limo to reveal a pale and miserable looking Anton. He climbed in, slumped down into the plush seats, and gave Chris a glassy-eyed look.

“Hey, so your mom’s rose garden’s really nice,” he said weakly.

“Oh Anton…”

“Yeah, I totally puked in it. Sorry.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes as the limo pulled out of the driveway.

“Don’t worry,” Zach whispered to Chris. “I’m sure Choco-Taco makes a great fertilizer.”

Chris groaned and laughed at the same time and slid against Zach’s side as the limo turned a corner.

*

The limo dropped Zach and Chris off at the hospital. “Hopefully we’ll meet up with you guys later,” Zach told the others, before he slammed the door and turned back to Chris.

“Later?” Chris asked as they headed through the sliding doors to the Emergency Room. “What are we doing later?”

“It’s a _surprise_ , Chris, grasp the concept.”

“Your surprise injured me, Zach,” Chris said, holding up his wrist. “The least you can do is tell me what type of pain I can look forward to next.”

“Fine. Let’s just say it’s a good thing you hurt your left hand, then.”

“What’s that mean? Oh fuck, Zach, you know I fucking hate bowling.”

“Not bowling, idiot.”

“What then?!”

“Okay, fine,” Zach burst, “we’re going to a strip club, happy now?”

“Um, Zach,” Chris said, stressing the words without moving his lips. “You said that really loud.” Yes, in fact, the entire waiting room was now staring at them, some patients looking appalled while others gave Chris a knowing smile.

Zach’s face reddened and he stared at the floor as he followed Chris to the front desk.

*

“So a strip club, huh? Is it a skeezy one? I hope it’s a skeezy one.” Chris was sitting on a hospital bed in a curtained off area, swinging his feet over the edge. Zach was slumped in an uncomfortable looking plastic chair, his long legs stretched out in front of him with his feet propped on the bed.

“It’s not skeezy, it’s classy. I actually rented out one of the lounges. We have our own bar, DJ and everything.”

“Everything…meaning strippers?”

“Yes, we have our own strippers, too.”

“Wow. That’s actually kind of awesome. Although, I’m almost more excited about the DJ, to be honest. Or, wait. You didn’t tell him to play cheesy-ass birthday music all night, did you?”

“Pshh, come on, baby, I know what you like! It’s all Kesha and _Mambo #5_ for you, I promise.”

“Oh fuck you,” Chris said, aiming a lazy kick at his shins.

He noticed Zach sneaking a look at his phone.

“What? How long have we been here?”

“Just over two hours.”

“Fuck, really? It’s been that long?” It hadn’t seemed that long. In fact, Chris had rather enjoyed having the time to catch up with Zach, loved how easily conversation flowed between them even after so long apart. “I’m sorry I fucked up your plans, Zach.”

“Shut up, Chris. It’s not your fault, and anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t put the proper safety precautions in place – namely, seat belting you to a chair and saying ‘Have a good time!’”

“Fuck you,” Chris said, laughing. “Actually, I’m kinda glad…” he said, trailing off.

“What? Glad you broke your wrist?”

“Fractured,” Chris corrected him. Somehow, knowing it was just a fracture made him feel less inept. “And no. But I’m glad we got to hang out just the two of us, you know? I mean, I loved seeing everyone, don’t get me wrong. But, just, you know. This is nice.”

“Yeah,” Zach said, nodding. “I was hoping-“

He didn’t get to finish, because the doctor pulled back the curtain then, and Zach scooted his chair back as she began fitting Chris into his wrist brace.

“Are you still in a lot of pain?” she asked him, applying gentle pressure to his wrist.

“Nope!” Chris answered cheerfully. “Those pain meds are working their magic.”

“Glad to hear it. You can take another one in a few hours, but no alcohol tonight, okay?”

“WHAT?!” Zach and Chris said at the same time. The doctor shook her head.

“Sorry, guys. How much did you have before you decided to take that little trip down memory lane, anyway?” she asked. They’d both noticed her stifled grin earlier when Chris had told her how the fracture happened.

“That’s the sad thing,” Chris groaned. “I don’t even have _that_ as an excuse, seeing as I only drank half a margarita before making the enlightened decision to basically throw myself full force onto the ground. God, who the fuck invented the Slip-n-Slide, anyway? I’m thinking they may need a little sanity check themselves.”

Zach chuckled.

“What?”

“Oh nothing. I just had this image of you waving your cane around and shouting for those damn kids to get off your lawn.”

Chris gave him the finger with his good hand.

*

They left the hospital in style as the limo pulled up outside to take them to the classy strip club. Chris had been fading already as he waited to get his release from the doctor, and once in the limo he sank into the comfortable leather seat and nodded off. When he woke up, Zach was playing with his hair and smiling tolerantly at him.

“Hey,” he said softly. “We’re here.”

“Oh. Shit,” Chris said, sitting up and blinking blearily. “God, how long was I out?”

“Twenty minutes, maybe. We’ve been here for like five minutes, but I didn’t want to wake you.”

Chris shook his head to wake himself up. “I’m good. I’m ready, seriously. Second wind. Let’s go!”

They entered the lounge to cheers from their friends, and Chris was immediately flanked by two strippers. He felt a brief flare of disappointment as Zach disappeared into the crowd, but he was back a few minutes later, handing Chris a Red Bull in a martini glass. The DJ blasted _Birthday Sex_ , and the party was on.

Chris spent some time on the dance floor, holding his cast out of the way and vowing to give everyone a “birthday grind.” In turn he was the blushing recipient of three lap dances – one from each stripper and one from Zach’s brother, who claimed he had to do it because “Karl’s out of town.” Chris made sure to tip the strippers for that one, too.

*

“Kinda sorry I wasn’t here when you guys got here,” Chris said to John a while later, leaning against the bar. He was only slightly buzzed from the painkillers, but he was truly enjoying watching everyone else get smashed. “I assume Anton recovered enough to come running in here screaming ‘STRIPPERS!!!!”

“You think you’re kidding,” John said dryly, taking another sip of his drink. Chris laughed and scanned the lounge, loving the sight of his friends in various states of inebriation as he indulged in some internal speculation about who would regret what in the morning. And, okay, maybe he was looking for Zach, he realized as he spotted him, sitting on a low couch that made his knees stick up in front of him. He was holding a drink, staring off into the distance, between conversations, Chris guessed. Chris made his way over, called to him from the end of the couch.

“Hey, Zach, can I talk to you outside for a sec?”

“Sure.” Zach stood and followed Chris out of the club and around the side to a shadowed alley. “You feeling alright?”

“Yeah, great.”

“You having fun? I saw you got treated to an infamous Joe Quinto lap dance.”

“Uh, yeah. Does he…do that often?”

“Yes. I’d say it’s about 75% of the reason I decided we needed to take you to a strip club,” Zach said with a wink.

“Oh, that’s great, thank you very much,” Chris said, rolling his eyes. He glanced at Zach, curious. “Is there a….famous Zach Quinto lap dance?”

“That’s for 25th birthdays only. Sorry, looks like you missed your chance,” Zach joked.

Chris felt his face flush and he rubbed a hand over the back of his neck, not even sure what he wanted to say. “Look, I just…I wanted to thank you. Everything you did for me today, I mean, I don’t even know what to say….”

“Aw, come here, you,” Zach said, pulling Chris into a hug. Chris wrapped his arms around Zach’s shoulders and gave him a squeeze.

“Seriously, though,” he said, softly because his lips were inches from Zach’s ear. “Do you even know how awesome today was?”

“I do,” Zach said.

“You know I love you, right man?”

“Did you just say, ‘I love you, man’?” Zach asked, and Chris could hear the smile in his voice.

“Shut up. You know what I mean.”

“Yeah. I love you too, _man_.” He tightened his arms a fraction as Chris did the same. “Did you know that you kind of smell like stripper?”

Chris laughed softly and fell silent for a few seconds before he spoke again. “Did you know that we’ve been hugging for kind of an abnormally long time?”

“Did you know that I can totally tell that you have a boner right now?”

“Fuck you.” Chris swallowed, sure that Zach could hear it, could feel his Adam’s apple press against his shoulder. “Did you know that my boner has nothing to do with the stripper and everything to do with the length of this hug?” he asked quietly.

He felt Zach still in his arms, then Zach’s hand made a slow stroke across his back. “No.” His voice was just as soft, as though he didn’t want to disturb the very air around them. “I didn’t know that.”

“Well. Surprise.”

Zach didn’t even pull back, just brushed his lips across Chris’s cheek until he could press them against his mouth in a dry kiss.

“Okay?” he mumbled against Chris’s lips.

Chris nodded, felt his eyes closing as he parted his lips over Zach’s. He flicked his tongue out, licking his lips like he always did, but this time Zach’s tongue was there to meet him, pressing into his mouth as Zach’s fingers curled around the back of his neck. The kiss was everything Chris had never let himself imagine, Zach’s mouth sinful and sweet against his. Zach kissed like he did everything else, focused and intense and sexy as hell.

“You’re a good kisser,” Chris murmured, shifting so that Zach’s lips skittered along his jaw.

“So’re you,” Zach breathed. “Stop talking.” He slid their tongues together, but Chris smiled and pulled back to kiss him on the lips.

“So demanding.”

“Shut up,” Zach demanded, bruising his mouth with a hard kiss.

“Seriously,” Chris said, grinning now. “Whose birthday is it again?”

“I swear to god, you fuck,” Zach said, but he was laughing helplessly against Chris’s lips and tangling his fingers in his hair. Chris’s hair was longer now, and he tugged it between his fingers. “Have I mentioned that I like your hair?” he asked against Chris’s cheek.

“Have I mentioned that I miss yours?” Chris said, and he found it prudent then to seal his lips against Zach’s and end the conversation for a while.

He felt Zach’s fingers trailing down his back, sliding up under his shirt, and he moaned a little at the touch. He threw himself harder into the kiss, arching against Zach and letting his hands clutch at Zach’s shirt and at his belt loops. They weren’t laughing anymore, and Chris felt hot and needy and god, yeah, kissing was _not_ going to be enough.

“Zach...” he gasped, his mouth open and panting hot against Zach’s neck.

“Yeah?” Zach said into his hair.

“I…fuck, I want to do stuff with you.”

Zach nipped at Chris’s earlobe. “You’re so hot when you’re articulate.”

“Fuck…fuck you….shit, Zach, come on, you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, I know.” He pulled back and looked at Chris. “Maybe we should go somewhere? You know, somewhere besides an alley next to a strip club?”

“Really? But it’s such a _classy_ strip club!” Zach kissed him again, sexy and unabashedly wanting, and when they separated, Chris had a renewed interest in going elsewhere. “Where did you want to do this?” he asked breathlessly.

Zach’s eyes sparkled and Chris grinned and they answered the question at the same time – “Moon Bounce.”

Chris had to pull Zach close for another long kiss before he could bring himself to move, kissed him until Zach slid a hand down his arm to tangle their fingers together. “We should probably go say goodbye,” he said softly, dropping residual kisses on the corners of Chris’s lips.

“Yeah,” Chris said. He looked down at their hands, then back up at Zach. “So, is this just a birthday thing, or…?”

Zach ran his thumb over Chris’s knuckles, shrugged like he didn’t know how Chris wanted him to answer.

“I mean…is this okay?” Chris asked, squeezing Zach’s hand in his, and giving a meaningful glance at the door leading back into the club.

Zach bit his lip, and Chris realized that he was holding back a giddy grin. “If it’s okay with you,” he said cautiously, and he returned Chris’s smile as the birthday boy pulled him inside.

They made their way through the crowd, Chris alternating between blushing and grinning as he watched people notice their intertwined hands. Eyes widened and lips quirked up as each person decided between a lewd or congratulatory comment. Zoe smacked them both on the ass, John rolled his eyes and muttered that it was about time, and Joe looked wounded and told Chris he’d thought they’d really had something. Chris’s injured wrist ached with the force of his goodbye hugs, love and gratitude for his friends swelling in his chest, and he made his way to the front entrance without ever losing contact with Zach. He was warm with well-wishes and dizzy with anticipation by the time they climbed into the waiting limo.

The luxurious silence was a shock after the noise of the club, and Chris felt a flutter of nervousness in his limbs as the limo started moving. His palms suddenly felt clammy and gross, and he slid his hand from Zach’s grasp. He pushed himself up from his seat, crouching forward to check the fridge for a drink, as his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

“What are you doing?” Zach asked.

“Oh, uh, I thought I’d see if I could find some, uh…birthday champagne?” he said, his voice going up at the end. He felt a tug on his waistband and gasped as Zach yanked him back with a murmured “get over here.” He landed on Zach’s lap, his legs splayed to either side, the obvious bulge in his jeans making him feel exposed. But then Zach was pressing up against him, running a hand down his chest and mouthing at his neck and he let himself melt against those long limbs and flat abs. He stretched his good hand behind him, pressing his fingertips into Zach’s scalp as Zach undulated slowly beneath him. The twin sensations of Zach’s erection against his ass and Zach’s palm against the line of his own swollen cock made Chris squirm, made him drop his mouth open just to get enough air to fill his lungs. A moan escaped Zach’s lips, and Chris felt fingers curl around his straining zipper as Zach whispered curses in his ear, “ _fuck, Chris, shit, I want you_ ,” each one accompanied by a flick of his tongue. Chris turned his head to capture Zach’s lips, and he was going to make him stop, seriously, just one more thrust against his ass and he was going to move away.

Zach slipped his fingers into Chris’s waistband, slid them against the hot length of his dick, and he was writhing in Zach’s lap, bucking and panting and squeezing his eyes shut. “Oh fuck, Zach, fuck, fuck you, I’m gonna come in my pants-“

Zach scraped his teeth over Chris’s skin, sealed his lips against Chris’s neck and sucked as he tugged at Chris’s cock, and Chris arched back against him with a cry, spilling hotly into his boxers. Zach eased his hand out and pressed a gentle kiss to Chris’s jaw.

“Hot as fuck,” he breathed, tightening his arms around Chris before sliding out from under him.

Chris leaned back in his seat, blinking and trying to catch his breath. He looked at Zach out of the corner of his eye. “You come?” he asked.

Zach shook his head. “Nah. That was just for you.” He leaned back and closed his eyes, but Chris saw the little smirk cross his lips. “I’m saving myself for the Moon Bounce.”

*

Apparently saving himself wasn’t as easy as Zach made it seem, given the fact that he nearly yanked Chris’s arm off dragging him out of the limo and into the backyard, pulling them, laughing, up into the still-inflated Moon Bounce. Chris landed on his back, looking up at the sky, and Zach leaned over him for a kiss.

“Hey,” Chris panted, pulling away, “I can see the moon from the Moon Bounce. Is that ironic?”

Zach rolled his eyes. “No, it’s not.” But he set his weight on one elbow and looked up to follow Chris’s gaze to the sky, and the ground dipped beneath them. Zach laughed and tussled with Chris as they rolled across the surface, careful to avoid his injured wrist. He did, however, tug subtly at Chris’s shoulders, so that he ended up on his stomach, propped on his elbows and biting his lip as he felt Zach’s hand rubbing over his jeans and around to fumble with the button of his fly. Chris lifted his hips obligingly, let Zach slide his jeans down over his hips, and sucked in a breath at the touch of Zach’s fingertips against the bare skin of his ass.

“Zach, I don’t know…”

“It’s okay,” Zach said, wrestling with his own fly now, wriggling his jeans down to his knees. “Just let me…” He slicked the shaft of his cock with spit and bit back a moan of relief as he fit his throbbing length against Chris’s ass, sliding between his cheeks. He propped himself up on one hand, used his other to hold Chris’s hip as he thrust, grunting, pressing small kisses to Chris’s back through his t-shirt. Chris was hard again, his cock twitching as he felt Zach slide against him, and he matched Zach’s movements, pushing back against him, panting his encouragement. “Fuck, yeah, Zach, come on, fuckin’, come all over me…” He heard Zach suck in a breath and go still, then the hot splash of Zach’s release striped across his lower back. Chris was desperate to get off again, ready to rut against the surface of the Moon Bounce if that’s what it took, but then Zach’s hand was on his cock, slick with his own come, stroking him hard and fast.

“Yeah, yes, that, guh,” Chris panted, pushing himself up on his knees so he could thrust into Zach’s fist. He felt a tingle in his limbs, groaned, “oh fuck, yeah,” as everything in his body clenched, and yelled “shit, Zachary!” as he shot his load across the rubber floor.

He was breathing hard, resting his forehead on his folded arms, and Zach’s laugh was a quiet vibration between his shoulder blades. “Zachary?” he asked, his voice teasing.

“Ugh, fuck you, it just came out, okay?” Chris said with a groan. He could feel Zach’s grin against his back, then the soft press of a kiss.

“Mm-hmm,” he murmured. “I think I like it.” Zach sat up a little to let Chris roll over.

“I jizzed on the Moon Bounce.”

“Yeah, you did,” Zach observed. ‘

“Think that’s gonna cost you your deposit?”

“I think you’re going to clean it up.”

“Oh yeah? Are you going to clean _me_ up?”

Zach laughed. “Depends. How much was the deposit?”

“I don’t know,” Chris mused, “But you are one orgasm in the hole.”

“Really?” Zach asked smirking. “Because by my count, I haven’t had any orgasms _in the hole_ ,” he said, breaking into laughter as Chris growled and tackled him.

Chris rolled them over until they came to rest in the crease where the wall met the floor, Zach sinking deep into it and Chris falling completely on top of him, their pants still down, cocks damp and cool where they touched.

Chris pushed himself up to look at Zach, then leaned down to press their lips together, thrusting his tongue deep into Zach’s mouth for a passionate kiss. Zach’s arms came up to wrap around him and he was flushed and reeling, already wanting more. “Fuck, Zach. You want that second orgasm right now?”

“Yeah, but…oof…I think this thing is running out of air. Also, you’re crushing me.”

“That’s fitting, since I have a crush _on_ you. Wait, is _that_ ironic?”

“What? No! Stop asking me that! Ow, Jesus, your elbow is digging into my ribs. Get off of me before I punch you in the face. Would _that_ be ironic?”

“Oh my god, Zach, that doesn’t make _any_ sense ,” Chris said, struggling to climb out of their crevasse. He scooted into the middle of the floor. “I think we should buy it.”

Zach scrambled after him, breathing hard. “Buy what?”

“The Moon Bounce. We can keep it in my parent’s garage. Break it out for special occasions.”

“Oh yeah? Like what?”

“Oh, you know. Birthdays. Anniversaries.”

“So basically…”

“Once a year, yeah. It’ll be totally worth it.”

“What about my birthday?”

“Fuck that, we’re having dinner with Nimoy.”

“Oh, are we? You think dinner with Nimoy is better than orgasms in a Moon Bounce?”

Chris raised an eyebrow at him.

“Yeah, you’re right, what the fuck am I talking about?”

Chris laughed and dragged himself up to crawl across the floor toward the doorway. Zach followed him. “You still have to clean it up, you know.”

“Fine. Tomorrow.”

“Where are you going now?”

Chris reached the square doorway that would take him out into the backyard. He looked back over his shoulder and the moonlight glinted off his hair, touched the corner of his smile. “Wherever you want to take me.”

Zach’s smile faltered a little, and Chris reached out to run his fingertips along Zach’s arm. “What? Don’t tell me we’ve reached the end of Zachary Quinto’s magnificent birthday plans.”

Zach looked down and swallowed and when he looked up again his lips were curved in a half-smile. “This isn’t exactly the ending I’d written into the schedule.”

“What did the real ending involve?”

“Um. There was a cake?”

“Stripper cake?”

Zach shook his head. “Just a regular cake. Jesus, Chris, I don’t like you _that_ much.”

“Liar.” Chris took a deep breath. “Zach, did you…is this the ending you’d secretly hoped for?” he asked tentatively.

Zach turned his head, looked off into the distance. “I wouldn’t even let myself hope,” he said in a rough whisper.

Chris touched Zach’s cheek, guided their lips together in a soft kiss. “Surprise.” he said with a smile.

Zach kissed him hard on the mouth, and mumbled against his lips. “So much better than cake.”

As Zach’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him close, Chris found himself inclined to agree.

And he _really_ liked cake.

  
 _“Fly free and happy beyond birthdays and across forever, and we'll meet now and then when we wish, in the midst of the one celebration that never can end.”_ ~Richard Bach  



End file.
